Sweden's discrimination ombudsman's office, which represented 24-year-old Ms Alhajeh, said the judgement had taken into account "the employer's interests, the individual's right to bodily integrity, and the importance of the state to maintain protection for religious freedom".

What were the grounds for the ruling?

The interpreting company in Ms Alhajeh's home town of Uppsala had argued that its staff were required to treat men and women equally and could not allow a staff member to refuse a handshake based on gender.

But the discrimination ombudsman said she had tried to avoid upsetting anyone by placing her hand over her heart when greeting both men and women.

Sweden's labour court found the company was justified in demanding equal treatment for both sexes - but not in demanding that it be in the form of a handshake only.

Her refusal to shake hands on religious grounds was protected by the European Convention on Human Rights, it said, and the company's policy in demanding a specific greeting was detrimental to Muslims.

The court also disagreed with the firm's assertion that Ms Alhajeh's approach to greetings would cause a problem for effective communication as an interpreter.

However the judges were divided over the case - with three supporting Ms Alhajeh's claim and two voting against.

What did Ms Alhajeh say?

After the judgement Ms Alhajeh told the BBC she believed it was important to "never give in" when convinced that one is in the right, even as a member of a minority group.

"I believe in God, which is very rare in Sweden... and I should be able to do that and be accepted as long as I'm not hurting anyone," she said.

"In my country... you cannot treat women and men differently. I respect that. That's why I don't have any physical contact with men or with women. I can live by the rules of my religion and also at the same time follow the rules of the country that I live in," she added.

She had complained about her treatment to the discrimination ombudsman's office, which said that the "difficult issue" was important enough to go to a court for judgement.